Groundwater development,Kharga Oases,Western Desert of Egypt: A long-term environmental concern

The groundwater reserves in Kharga Oases have been studied for the long-term socioeconomic development in the area. The Nubian Sandstone, which consists of a thick sequence of coarse clastic sediments of sandstone, sandy clay interbedded with shale, and clay beds, forms a complex aquifer system. The Nubian Aquifer has been providing water to artesian wells and springs in the Kharga Oases for several thousand years. Groundwater in the Kharga Oases is withdrawn from springs and shallow and deep artesian wells Nearly all the wells originally flowed, but with the exploitation of ground-water from deep wells for irrigation beginning about 1959. the natural flows declined as more and more closely spaced deep wells were drilled By 1975 many deep wells had ceased to flow The water demand in the area has been met by pumping both shallow and deep wells The total annual extraction from deep wells has fluctuated over the year, however, the annual withdrawal from deep wells has exceeded extraction from shallow wells About 17 billion m³ of water was withdrawn from the combination of shallow and deep wells during the period 1960–1980 The Nubian complex aquifer in the Kharga Oases has a very large groundwater potential that could be exploited and beneficially used for a long-term agricultural development in the area, provided proper well spacing and management are implemented Other major environmental considerations for which precise hydrogeologic data are needed include

1. Determination of the long-term yield available from properly constructed and producing artesian wells that will support a planned migration of population from the overcrowded Nile delta and flood plain areas
2. Development of an effective management program and adequate staff to maintain groundwater production over an extended period of years
3. The impact on climate caused by extensive irrigation in the oases of the Western Desert of Egypt
4. Protection against water logging of soils from irrigation practices
5. Protection against salinization of soils from irrigation practices
6. Development of effective surface and subsurface drainage practices
7. The impact of farming and pest control practices on the shallow groundwater of the oases
8. Determination of the long-term development of the artesian water on the quality of the water from the aquiter systems in the Western Desert

This paper addresses items 1, 2 and 8.     

The effect of long-term soil irrigation by wastewater on organic matter, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals evolution: case study of Zaouit Sousse (Tunisia)

Irrigation by treated wastewater (TWW) can pollute the soil by different organic and inorganic compounds. The pollution level can depend on the irrigation period, soil nature, and wastewater characteristics. Since 1989, the Zaouit Sousse area (central Tunisian) has been irrigated by treated wastewater. The irrigation period and the mineralogy of soil composition change from one locality to another in Zaouit Sousse area. In this work, we are interested in organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals (HMs) evolution. One control soil (S1) and four irrigated areas soil (S2, S3, S4, and S5) were chosen. The soil samples differ by the irrigation period and soil characteristics. Total PAHs content in control soil was 66.2 ng?g^?1 and in irrigated areas were between 46.23 and 129.51 ng?g^?1. The PAHs content in irrigated soil, except S5 which has been irrigated with wastewater for 20 years and contains the highest clay fraction percent, decreased with the irrigation period (from 0 to 20 years). The microbial degradation may decrease the PAHs concentrations in the soil thanks to bacterium brought by TWW and the important soil permeability. Concentration of heavy metals ranged from 24 to 1,320 μg?L^?1. The HMs (Cu, Cr, Zn, Fe, Ni, Pb, and Cd) contents decreased with the irrigation period (from 10 to 20 years). So, following the PAHs aerobic bio-degradation, this organic compound discharges their absorbed heavy metals which leached to deeper levels. The Cr, Cu, Al, Zn, and Cd mobility depend on the clay yield too. However, the PAHs and Pb mobility are also related to humic substance quantities. Cr and Cu have affinities both to clay and humic substance quantities.     

Effects of biochar, cow bone, and eggshell on Pb availability to maize in contaminated soil irrigated with saline water

Toxicity of heavy metals adversely affects environment and human health. Organic materials derived from natural matters or wastes have been applied to soils to reduce the mobility of contaminants such as heavy metals. However, the application of cow bone powder (CB), biochar (BC), and eggshell powder (ES) is rarely investigated for the reduction of Pb bioavailability in soils irrigated with saline water. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of CB, BC, and ES additions as immobilizing substances on Pb bioavailability in shooting range soil irrigated with deionized and saline water. Each additive of CB, BC, and ES at 5 % (w/w) was mixed with soils and then the deionized and saline water were irrigated for 21 days. With deionized water irrigation, the soils treated with CB, BC, and ES exhibited higher pH when compared with saline water irrigation. With saline water irrigation, the electrical conductivity, water-soluble anions, and cations were significantly increased in soils treated with CB, BC, and ES. The water-soluble Pb in soils treated with CB, BC, and ES was significantly decreased with saline water irrigation. On the other hand, the water-soluble Pb in soil treated with CB was increased with deionized water irrigation. Only BC with saline water irrigation decreased the Pb concentration in maize shoots.     

The Mechanism of Groundwater Salinization and Its Control in the Yaoba Oasis, Inner Mongolia

The arid area is one of the most concerned areas among the water resources researchers and economists. Northwest China will be an important developing region of China in the 21st century. Yaoba is a well-irrigation oasis within this arid area, which is located in the Alxa area west of the Helan Mountains and next to the Tengger desert in the east. It has contributed greatly to the local stock raising and agriculture since its development in 1970. However, the groundwater which the oasis depends on to survive has been getting salinized gradually and more serious in recent years.A comprehensive study was carried out using the methods of groundwater environment isotope analysis, lithofaci-es and palaeogeography, calculations of water-rock interaction and the existing form of chemical components in groundwater etc. It has been found that the salinization of groundwater is mainly caused by reinfiltration water solving the salt in soil which is deposited simultaneously with the sediments and accumulated in th     

Microscopic Examination of Ancient and Modern Irrigated Paddy Soils in South Korea,with Special Reference to the Formation of Silty Clay Concentration Features

Geoarchaeological investigations of Bronze Age (10th–4th centuries B.C.), early historical (4th–10th centuries A.D.), and premodern to modern paddy soils (11^th Century A.D. to contemporary) in South Korea were carried out to understand soil alteration by irrigated rice agriculture. After a review of ancient cultivation micromorphology, especially in the context of wet‐rice agriculture, paddy soils were examined from two archaeological sites, Gulhwa and Pyunggeo, which had been both intermittently occupied since the Bronze Age. This paper highlights anomalous pedofeatures (silty clay concentration features or SCCFs), repeatedly observed in both historical and modern paddy fields, which were studied using soil micromorphology, energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry (EDS), and microprobe analysis. Results suggest that there are several types of SCCFs, optically distinguishable from other textural pedofeatures. It is concluded that these SCCFs are probably associated with hydromorphic processes, formed under the influence of a tillage and repeated irrigation specific to paddy fields.     

污水灌溉下土壤孔隙特征的CT定量分析

污水中的悬浮物、盐分和有机营养物对土壤孔隙状况产生了深刻的影响.通过室内模拟和CT(computed tomography)扫描的方法, 定量研究污水灌溉条件下土壤孔隙数、孔隙度及形态特征.结果表明: 与对照点相比, 污水灌溉区上层土壤总孔隙数和大孔隙数(当量直径≥1.00 mm)均显著升高, 而下层土壤总孔隙数、大孔隙数、粗孔隙数(当量直径为0.26~1.00 mm)、总孔隙度、大孔隙度和粗孔隙度均显著降低(p＜0.05);在模拟悬浮液和盐液灌溉条件下, 土壤总孔隙数、粗孔隙数和粗孔隙度均有所升高, 而大孔隙数、总孔隙度、大孔隙度和孔隙成圆率均有所降低; 在模拟营养液灌溉条件下, 土壤总孔隙数、大孔隙数、粗孔隙数和粗孔隙度均有所增加, 而孔隙成圆率有所降低; 对于研究区土壤来说, 悬浮液灌溉对土壤孔隙的影响效应强于盐液灌溉; 对于同种性质的污水灌溉来说, 污灌对对照点土壤孔隙的影响效应强于污灌区土壤.      

The effect of naturally acidified irrigation water on agricultural volcanic soils. The case of Asembagus, Java, Indonesia

Acid water from the Banyuputih river (pH  3.5) is used for the irrigation of agricultural land in the Asembagus coastal area (East Java, Indonesia), with harmful consequences for rice yields. The river water has an unusual composition which is caused by seepage from the acidic Kawah Ijen crater lake into the river. This unique irrigation setting allows the study of soil acidification in situ. This paper assesses the effects of volcanogenically contaminated irrigation water on the chemical properties of the agricultural soils.The changes in soil properties were evaluated by comparing samples taken from the topsoil and sub-soil (1–3 m depth) from areas irrigated with acid water and areas irrigated with neutral water. The field survey thus resulted in four soil categories. Bulk soil composition, organic matter content, moisture content and particle size distribution were determined. Reactive phases were quantified with the selective extractions 1 M KCl, 0.1 M Na-pyrophosphate and 0.2 M acid ammonium oxalate (AAO).By comparing the four soil categories it is shown that the use of the naturally polluted irrigation water has had a large influence on the chemical composition of the topsoil. The composition of the soil solution has changed over the entire investigated soil profile. Furthermore the acid irrigation water has strongly modified the composition of the reactive phases, extracted as KCl, pyrophosphate, and AAO extractable elements, and also the bulk soil composition has been significantly modified. Overall this has resulted in the net dissolution of some elements and the net precipitation of others. The changes in the reactive phases and bulk soil composition are only apparent in the topsoil (0–20 cm) but not in the deeper soil.     

The influence of sulfur deposition rates on sulfate retention patterns and mechanisms in aerated forest soils

Stable isotope ratios were used as a tracer for S flow and transformations in an irrigation experiment with 5 different German forest soils. Seventy-five lysimeters constructed from soil cores, 15 from each site, were irrigated over 20 months with SO₄-rich artificial canopy throughfall, simulating 3 different S input levels: 35 kg S ha⁻¹ in treatment I, 63 kg S ha⁻¹ in treatment II, and 131 kg S ha⁻¹ in treatment III. The δ³⁴S value of the irrigation SO₄ was more than 22‰ higher than those of total S in the untreated soils. Mass and isotope balances for different soil S compounds were used to assess the patterns and mechanisms of S retention in individual soil horizons and their dependence on S deposition levels. Independent of the S deposition level, on average 12±5 kg ha⁻¹ of the applied S were bound organically by the microbial biomass in all soils. Immobilization of irrigation SO₄ occurred predominantly in the topsoil horizons with the formation of C-bonded S being more prevalent than the synthesis of organic sulfates. Tracer retention via formation of organic soil S compounds accounted for up to 50% of the irrigation SO₄ in treatment I, from 16 to 25% in treatment II, and less than 20% in treatment III. The dominant process of inorganic S retention in the soils appeared to be adsorption of SO₄, but precipitation of aluminum hydroxy sulfate minerals constituted a second potential inorganic retention process in some soils. Sulfate adsorption increased with increasing sesquioxide content of the soils and with increasing S deposition rates. In soils with high sesquioxide contents, typically more than 70% of the irrigated S was retained inorganically, whereas in the soil with the lowest sesquioxide content, generally less than 50% of the labeled irrigation S was detected in inorganic form. In the latter soil, the sesquioxide content was not high enough to fully adsorb the elevated SO₄ inputs in treatments II and III. Consequently, increased tracer S export with the seepage water SO₄ was observed in the experimental variants with elevated SO₄ deposition rates. In soils with high sesquioxide contents, the elevated SO₄ inputs in treatments II and III were fully retained in the soil horizons in inorganic form during the 20 months of the experiment and thus increased seepage water export of labeled SO₄ was not observed. The ability to inorganically retain tracer S in the mineral soil horizons was identified as the major factor regulating the extent of tracer S export with the seepage water at 60 cm depth. The high retention of labeled S in all soils combined with the comparatively low recovery of irrigation SO₄ with the seepage water implies that the mean transit time of S in the uppermost 60 cm of the acid forest soils varies between several years and many decades, much longer than previously thought.     

Input of seabird-derived nitrogen into rice-paddy fields near a breeding/roosting colony of the Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), and its effects on wild grass

Terrestrial ecosystems near breeding/roosting colonies of piscivorous seabirds can receive a large amount of marine-derived N in the form of bird feces. It has been well demonstrated that N input from seabirds strongly affects plant communities in forests or coastal grasslands. The effects of nutrient input on plant communities in agricultural ecosystems near seabird colonies, however, have rarely been evaluated. This relationship was examined in rice-paddy fields irrigated by a pond system located near a colony of the Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo in Aichi, central Japan. In the present study, spatial variations in N content (N %) and N stable isotope composition (δ¹⁵N) of soils and wild grass species together with the growth height of plants in paddy fields in early spring (fallow period) were examined. Soils had a higher N % and δ¹⁵N values in fields associated with an irrigation pond that had N input from cormorants. The δ¹⁵N values tended to be higher around the inlet of irrigation waters, relative to the outlet. These results indicate that cormorant-derived N was input into the paddy fields via the irrigation systems. Plants growing in soil with higher δ¹⁵N had higher δ¹⁵N in the above-ground part of the plants and had luxurious growth. A positive correlation in plant height and δ¹⁵N of NO₃–N was observed in soil plough horizons.     

甘肃陇中黄土高原农业灌溉耗水系数监测试验研究

选择甘肃省临洮县洮惠渠灌区为试验研究区,通过直接观读、自动监测等技术手段,获取试验灌区的引水量、退水量、土壤墒情、降水量及蒸发量等水文基础数据。以水文监测基础数据为依据,采用引排差法、水分平衡法等相结合的方法,开展了农业灌溉耗水系数试验研究。初步试验结果表明:试验灌区灌溉期平均耗水系数为0. 730,典型地块灌溉期平均耗水系数为0. 671,2016年试验灌区降水量较常年偏少13. 0%~26. 3%,总体上属轻度干旱年份。该研究成果可为甘肃陇中黄土高原区水资源管理提供技术支撑。     

A reconstruction of Quaternary pluvial environments and human occupations using stratigraphy and geochronology of fossil‐spring tufas,Kharga Oasis,Egypt

We carried out a geologic survey and a preliminary archaeological survey of four fossil‐spring tufa localities in Kharga Oasis, Egypt, to constrain the timing of pluvial episodes in the Western Desert, and to document prehistoric occupation contemporaneous with times of increased rainfall. Uranium‐series dating of the tufas confirms that at least five episodes of tufa deposition are represented in Kharga, although not every event is represented at each locality. Across the region studied, tufas were most frequently deposited as part of a fluvial barrage system, characterized by terraced, vegetated pools impounded by arcuate tufa dams and separated by small waterfalls. Available water resources during pluvial phases would have included not only spring‐fed streams but also small freshwater lakes. While Earlier Stone Age (ESA) and Middle Stone Age (MSA) lithic artifacts may be found either as surficial lags on tufas, or, less commonly, encased within tufas, Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic artifacts are generally found in or on silts within surface deflation depressions in the tufas, principally at Wadi Midauwara. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

High‐resolution sequence stratigraphy of the Maastrichtian‐Ypresian succession along the eastern scarp face of Kharga Oasis,southern Western Desert,Egypt

A thick Maastrichtian‐Ypresian succession, dominated by marine siliciclastic and carbonate deposits of the regionally recognized Nile Valley and Garra El‐Arbain facies associations, is exposed along the eastern escarpment face of Kharga Oasis, located in the Western Desert of Egypt. The main objectives of the present study are: (i) to establish a detailed biostratigraphic framework; (ii) to interpret the depositional environments; and (iii) to propose a sequence stratigraphic framework in order to constrain the palaeogeographic evolution of the Kharga sub‐basin during the Maastrichtian‐Ypresian time interval. The biostratigraphic analysis suggests the occurrence of 10 planktonic zones; two in the Early Maastrichtian (CF8b and CF7), four in the Palaeocene (P2, P3, P4c and P5) and four in the Early Eocene (E1, E2, E3 and E4). Recorded zonal boundaries and biostratigraphic zones generally match with those proposed elsewhere in the region. The stratigraphic succession comprises seven third‐order depositional sequences which are bounded by unconformities and their correlative conformities which can be correlated within and outside Egypt. These depositional sequences are interpreted as the result of eustatic sea‐level changes coupled with local tectonic activities. Each sequence contains a lower retrogradational parasequence set bounded above by a marine‐flooding surface and an upper progradational parasequence set bounded above by a sequence boundary. Parasequences within parasequence sets are stacked in landward‐stepping and seaward‐stepping patterns indicative of transgressive and highstand systems tracts, respectively. Lowstand systems tracts were not developed in the studied sections, presumably due to the low‐relief ramp setting. The irregular palaeotopography of the Dakhla Basin, which was caused by north‐east to south‐west trending submerged palaeo‐highs and lows, together with the eustatic sea‐level fluctuations, controlled the development and location of the two facies associations in the Kharga Oasis, the Nile Valley (open marine) and Garra El‐Arbain (marginal marine).     

Late prehistoric soil fertility,irrigation management,and agricultural production in northwest coastal Peru

The Pampa de Chaparrí (Pampa) in hyperarid northwest coastal Peru is an ideal area to study late prehispanic agricultural technology and production because irrigation canals and furrowed fields have been preserved since abandonment approximately 500 years ago. We collected 55 samples for soil characterization, fertility, and micromorphic analyses and compared these results to a noncultivated control soil previously sampled in an adjacent valley. Natural soil fertility levels for maize, cotton, and bean production were generally high during late prehispanic cultivation in the Pampa. Maintaining adequate nitrogren levels for production, however, would have required external inputs from livestock manure, guano, or leguminous plants. The management of low soil salinity levels was possible because of rapidly permeable soils and irrigation waters low in salt. Based on available water capacity and climate conditions, the Blaney‐Criddle Equation yields evapotranspiration rates indicating that irrigation frequency was necessary in a range of every 10–16 days during the growing season. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Soil salinization and critical shallow groundwater depth under saline irrigation condition in a Saharan irrigated land

In the arid irrigated lands, understanding the impact of shallow groundwater fluctuation on soil salinization has become crucial. Thus, investigation of the possible options for maintaining the groundwater depth for improving land productivity is of great importance. In this study, under saline irrigation condition, the effects of shallow groundwater depth on water and salt dynamics in the root-zone of date palms were analyzed through a particular field and modeling (SWAP) investigation in a Tunisian Saharan oasis (Dergine Oasis). The model was calibrated and validated against the measured soil water content through the date palm root-zone. The good agreement between measured and estimated soil water content demonstrated that the SWAP model is an effective tool to accurately simulate the water and salt dynamics in the root-zone of date palm. Multiple groundwater depth scenarios were performed, using the calibrated SWAP model, to achieve the optimal groundwater depth. The simulation results revealed that the shallow groundwater with a depth of ~80 cm coupled with frequent irrigation (20 days interval) during the summer season is the best practice to maintain the adequate soil water content (>0.035 (cm³ cm^?3) and safe salinity level (<4 dS m^?1) in the root-zone layer. The results of field investigation and numerical simulation in the present study can lead to a better management of lands with shallow water table in the Saharan irrigated areas.     

Hydro-salinity balance and mobilization in oasis irrigation areas at two different scales

Decades of intensive irrigation of farmlands in the oasis irrigated areas of Xinjiang, Northwest China has caused secondary salinization of vast areas of land since the mid-1980s. Based on the systematic analysis of the monitoring data of hydrology, soil, irrigation and salinity at two different scales in the case of Weigan River Plain Oasis in Xinjiang Province, algorithms derived from hydrosalinity balance principle were developed to estimate the salt mobilization and characteristics; salt and water mobilization and distribution were closely examined both in catchment scale and in field scale. The critical ratio of drainage to irrigation of Weigan River Plain Oasis was estimated to be 9.19%. Furthermore, analysis of the relationship between the two different scaling issues was illustrated. Finally, corresponding countermeasures for secondary soil salinization were proposed according to the different developmental stages and salinization status of water and soil resources.The findings of this paper is helpful in controlling the local hydrology, in limiting or diminishing salinization trends, as well as in providing academic and instructive meaning for the sustainable development of agriculture in oasis irrigation areas.     

The use of stable sulfur and oxygen isotope ratios for interpreting the mobility of sulfate in aerobic forest soils

The isotope compositions of sulfate in bulk precipitation near Munich (Germany) and of seepage water and soil sulfate in five acid forest soils representative of southern Germany were determined in order to ascertain the sources and dynamics of sulfur. While the δ³⁴ S-values of inorganic sulfate in soil solution and solid phases were found to be nearly identical to those of precipitation sulfate, a depletion of several per mil was observed for the δ¹⁸ O-values of sulfate within the uppermost 30 cm of the investigated soils. Mineralization of carbon-bonded sulfur to SO₄²⁻ in the forest floor and humic mineral soil horizons is the only known process which can explain the observed shifts in δ¹⁸O_sulfate. The fact that this¹⁸O-depleted sulfate recharges the groundwater under forests must be considered, when sulfur and oxygen isotope data of sulfate are used for interpretations of the past geochemistry of groundwater systems.Since the δ³⁴S-values of precipitation sulfate were barely altered during percolation through the soils, sulfate mobilities were inferred from a lysimeter experiment with undisturbed soil cores from the same sites, using the stable isotope composition of the irrigation sulfate as a tracer. Fifteen cores of each of the five forest soils, were repeatedly irrigated over 20 months with³⁴S- and¹⁸O-enriched sulfate in three different treatments (35, 63, and 131 kg S ha⁻¹ respectively). Despite the fact that the mean residence time of the seepage water was of the order of only a few months, the throughput of irrigation sulfate did not exceed 34% for all soils and irrigation treatments during the experiment. The low recovery of irrigation sulfate in the seepage water implies mean residence times for sulfur in the uppermost 60 cm of the forest soils of the order of decades, much longer than previously suggested.     

Evaluation of amendments used to prevent sodification of irrigated fields

Gypsum and S are applied to soils being irrigated with Na–HCO₃ dominated coalbed natural gas (CBNG) produced water to protect soil structure and fertility. Wyoming law requires beneficial use of produced water and irrigation with CBNG produced water in the semi-arid Powder River Basin is becoming more common. Strontium isotopes were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the gypsum and S applications in preventing sodification of these irrigated soils. The isotope ratio of Sr on the cation exchange complex of irrigated soil falls between that of the gypsum amendment (0.7074) and that of local soil (0.712–0.713). Strontium isotopes indicate that, to a depth of 30 cm, as much as 50% of the Sr on the irrigated soil cation exchange sites originated from the applied gypsum amendment on a field irrigated for 3 a. This was also true to a depth of 5 cm on a field irrigated less than 1 a. Strontium isotope ratio measurements of vegetation illustrate plant utilization of Sr from gypsum amendments, thereby reinforcing the conclusions about the presence of Sr from gypsum on the soil’s exchange sites. This Sr tracing technique may be useful in a wide variety of settings where monitoring soil health is necessary, especially in settings where poor quality water is used for irrigation: a more common occurrence as demand for fresh water increases.     

Hohokam Canal Irrigation and the Formation of Irragric Anthrosols in the Middle Gila River Valley,Arizona, USA

Irragric anthrosols form as a result of prolonged deposition of fine sediments from irrigation water. Ancient irragric soils centuries to millennia old occur in several world regions, especially in arid environments of Asia and the Americas. This article presents evidence for an ancient irragric anthrosol in the North American Southwest, along the Snaketown Canal System in the Middle Gila River Valley, Arizona. This pedostratigraphic unit was formed as a result of a millennium of irrigation by Hohokam farmers from A.D. 450 to 1450. The irragric soil consists of a mantle of silty‐to‐loamy textures with minimal soil formation overlying a natural argillic horizon on a Pleistocene stream terrace. A soil mapped independently by the United States Department of Agriculture‐Natural Resources Conservation Service with these horizons corresponds closely with the canal system. Soil within the canal system tends to be lower in salt, sodium, and pH compared with external soils. This suggests that the irragric process improved soil for crop production through long‐term leaching and additions of fresh sediments with the irrigation water. This anthropogenic process of canal sedimentation has had a long‐lasting impact on the sedimentary record and soils in this arid environment.     

The effects of agricultural practice and land-use on the distribution and origin of some potentially toxic metals in the soils of Golestan province, Iran

Soil samples were collected from the agricultural lands of Golestan province, north of Iran and analyzed for 24 elements including eight toxic metals of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Se and Zn. Electrical conductivity, pH, organic matter, soil texture, calcium carbonate content as well as soil cation exchange capacity were also determined. The possible sources of metals are identified with multivariate analysis such as correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis. In addition, enrichment factors were used to quantitatively evaluate the influences of agricultural practice on metal loads to the surface soils. The PCA and cluster analysis studies revealed that natural geochemical background are the main source of most elements including Al, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Ni, Pb, V and Zn in the arable soils of the province (more than 90 %), however, those soils which have been developed on the mafic and metamorphic rocks were considerably contributed on metal concentration (43 %). Calcium and Sr were constituents of calcareous rocks and Na and S were mainly controlled by saline soils in the north of the province. Loess deposits was also accounting for high levels of selenium concentration. Phosphorous was mostly related to application of P-fertilizers and organophosphate pesticides. The comparison of metal load and enrichment factor for dry and irrigated farmlands showed that Cd, Co, Pb, Se and Zn had higher concentrations in the irrigated lands where considerable amounts of agrochemicals had been applied. However, it also found that proximity of arable lands to urban and industrial areas resulted in higher Pb and Cd values in the irrigated agricultural sources relative to dry ones.     

Effects of long-term irrigation with treated wastewater. Part I: Evolution of soil physico-chemical properties

The long-term impact of irrigation on a Mediterranean sandy soil irrigated with Treated wastewater (TWW) since 1980 was evaluated. The main soil properties (CEC, pH, size distribution, exchangeable cations and chloride, hydraulic conductivity) as well as the organic matter and Cu, Cr and Pb speciation in an irrigated soil and a non-irrigated control soil at various soil depths were monitored and compared during a 2 years experiment. In this first part, the evolution of the physico-chemical soil properties was described. The irrigation with TWW was beneficial with regard to water and nutrient supplying. All the exchangeable cations other than K⁺ were higher in the irrigated soil than in the reference one. A part of the exchangeable cations was not fixed on the exchange complex but stored as labile salts or in concentrated soil solution. Despite the very sandy soil texture, both saturated and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity exhibited a significant diminution in the irrigated soil, but remained high enough to allow water percolation during rainy periods and subsequent leaching of accumulated salts, preventing soil salinization. In the irrigated soil, exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) exhibited high values (20% on average) and the soil organic C was lower than in the reference. No significant effect was noticed on soil mineralogical composition due to irrigation.